PPP's Latif Khosa announces joining PTI

LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) disgruntled leader Sardar Latif Khosa on Sunday officially announced to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), stating that he took the step “on the wish” of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan.

In a press conference held in Lahore, Khosa emphasized that his move was driven by the “interest of the country and democracy,” expressing his commitment to raising his voice for the truth.

“I have decided this only in the interest of the country and democracy,” he said.

Khosa underscored the importance of adhering to the constitution, describing it as a “civil agreement” with the characteristics of welfare states.

He added: “The motherland can become prosperous if we follow the Constitution. The Constitution has a solution for everything if implemented in its true spirit.”

Addressing the role of the armed forces, Khosa contended that their duty extends beyond protecting borders to assisting the state in emergencies such as floods and providing security during elections.

Notably, Latif Khosa, also a member of Imran Khan’s legal team, had received an invitation to join the PTI on December 4.

The decision comes after the PPP suspended Khosa’s party membership on September 22 for defending the PTI head without approval and criticizing the state policy during a lawyers’ function.

The PPP had issued a notice on September 14, warning of membership termination if Khosa failed to respond within the stipulated timeframe.

Election schedule

On Friday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)  issued the election schedule for the upcoming February 8 general polls in compliance with the Supreme Court (SC) order issued earlier.

According to a notification issued by the electoral watchdog, the public notice would be issued by the Returning Officer (RO) on December 19 with the dates for filing nominations from Dec 20-22.

The ECP, in its notification, stated that the names of the nominated candidates would be published on Dec 23 while the last date for scrutiny of their nomination papers would be from Dec 24-30.

Moreover, the last date for filing appeals against the decisions of Returning Officer (RO) on rejecting or accepting nomination papers is January 3. The last date for deciding the appeals by an appellate tribunal on Jan 10.

The notification stated that the revised list of candidates will be published on Jan 11 and the last date for withdrawal pf candidature is Jan 12.

Meanwhile, the electoral watchdog said that election symbols will be allotted to political parties on Jan 13 with polls set for Feb 8.